Ornamental attachment for footwear

ABSTRACT

The present invention relates to an ornamental attachment configured to be connected to a shoelace of a shoe, the ornamental attachment comprising a body and one or more brackets mounted to said body, the one or more brackets being configured such that in use a plurality of shoelace sections extend between eyelets of the shoe and the one or more brackets, wherein the one or more brackets are arranged such that in use the shoelace sections extend outwardly away from the body and outwardly away from one another. The present invention further relates to a combination of footwear and the ornamental attachment and to the use of an ornamental attachment for providing an ornament on a piece of footwear.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is the National Stage of International Application No.PCT/NL2008/000174, filed Jul. 10, 2008, the contents of which isincorporated by reference herein.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to an ornamental attachment for footwearsuch as a shoe. The present invention relates in particular to anornamental attachment connected to the shoe via the shoelace andconfigured to display an emblem, a text, or a figure or the like.

Ornamental attachments are known in the prior art. Emblems are popularitems in merchandising or for children.

2. Prior Art

U.S. Pat. No. 4,597,198 discloses a shoe decoration which is configuredto be attached to a shoe via the shoelace. The shoe decoration comprisesa front plate which can display a visual image such as a text or figure.Behind the front plate, a plate 42 is provided which defines a passage52 through which the shoelace may extend, see FIG. 3 of U.S. Pat. No.4,597,198. The shoelace section which extends through the passage 452extends from an eyelet on a left side of the shoe to an eyelet on aright side of the shoe. The shoelace sections thus cross a space betweenthe rows of eyelets.

The shoe decoration of U.S. Pat. No. 4,597,198 has a drawback in thatvisually, it is not very attractive.

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the invention to provide an ornamental attachment forfootwear which provides an alternative to known ornamental attachments.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a simple and costeffective ornamental attachment for footwear.

It is a further object of the invention to provide an ornamentalattachment for footwear which is visually attractive.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In order to achieve at least one of the objects, the invention providesan ornamental attachment configured to be connected to a shoe via theshoelace thereof, the ornamental attachment comprising a body and one ormore brackets mounted to said body, the one or more brackets beingconfigured such that in use a plurality of shoelace sections extendbetween eyelets of the shoe and the one or more brackets, wherein theone or more brackets are arranged such that in use a plurality ofshoelace sections extend outwardly away from the body and diverge fromone another.

Thus, the shoelace sections form an attractive visual pattern attractingattention and focusing the attention of a viewer on the body of theornamental attachment.

The shoelace sections form a visual pattern of lines. The shoelacesections can be likened to rays which diverge from the center which isformed by the body. The lines extend outwardly away from a center whichis formed by the ornamental attachment. The shoelace will generally beunder some tension, and thus the lines will generally be straight,adding to the visual effect.

Generally, a shoe is provided with two rows of eyelets or apertures. Thetwo rows of eyelets are spaced apart and define a space between the tworows. In a normal shoe or other footwear, the laces are laced throughthe eyelets such that the shoe may be tied. The present inventionrequires that the shoelaces are laced differently and in such a way thatthe ornamental attachment is connected to the shoe via the shoelace. Theshoelace can continue to perform its normal function

In use, the shoelace extends from an eyelet on the left row through theat least one aperture on the ornamental attachment. From there, theshoelace extends back to a next eyelet on the left row of eyelets on theshoe. From said next eyelet, the shoelace extends back to the apertureor to a next aperture of the ornamental attachment and again back to anext eyelet in the same row.

In a suitable embodiment, the one or more brackets are arranged suchthat in use the shoelace sections form a widening pattern. The wideningpattern creates an attractive visual effect.

In a suitable embodiment, the one or more brackets are configured andarranged to accommodate more than two shoelace sections. This allows areal widening pattern to be created.

In a suitable embodiment, the one or more brackets are configured tosupport a plurality of shoelace sections extending between eyelets on aleft side of the shoe and the one or more brackets, and to support aplurality of shoelace sections extending between eyelets on a right sideof the shoe and the one or more brackets. Thus, sections of the shoelaceon the left side and sections of the shoelace on the right side may beformed. Both the left and the right shoelace sections diverge.

In a suitable embodiment, the one or more brackets are arranged suchthat in use a distance between each shoelace section increases in adirection away from the body. In particular, when the ornamentalattachment is positioned between a left row of eyelets and a right rowof eyelets of a shoe and laced to the shoe with a shoelace, shoelacesections are defined which extend between the eyelets and the one ormore brackets, and a distance between each shoelace section increases ina direction away from the body. In this way, the widening pattern isprovided. Because the distance between each shoelace section increases,the shoelace sections diverge from one another.

In another embodiment, the one or more brackets are arranged such thatthe shoelace sections extend radially. A radial pattern is a simple andattractive visual pattern.

Generally, the one or more brackets are constructed such that a shoelacecan extend from one eyelet of the shoe to another eyelet of the shoe viathe one or more brackets.

It is possible that the one or more brackets define one or moreapertures through which the shoelace can extend. This embodiment allowssturdy fixing of the ornamental attachment to the shoe.

In another embodiment of the invention, at least one bracket isconfigured to accommodate multiple shoelace sections, such that multipleshoelace sections extend from the same bracket to different eyelets ofthe shoe. The sharing of shoelace sections by brackets reduces the totalnumber of brackets and allows a more simple design of the ornamentalattachment.

The ornamental attachment may be flat, thereby allowing a simpleconstruction and cost-effective manufacturing.

In an embodiment, the one or more brackets extend substantially aroundan outer circumference of the body. The one or more brackets may extendat a uniform distance from an outer ridge of the body.

This arrangement causes the shoelace sections to end near the outerridge of the body. This arrangement further allows a flat configurationof the ornamental attachment.

In an embodiment, the ornamental attachment comprises a front plate anda ring mounted to the front plate. A ring can be a simple version of thebracket.

In another embodiment, the one or more brackets are provided behind thebody, such that in use the one or more brackets are substantiallyconcealed from a viewer. This embodiment conceals the windings of theshoelace around the one or more brackets from the viewer, such that onlythe straight portions of the shoelace sections are visible. This adds tothe visual effect.

In a suitable embodiment, in use a ring-like bracket is mounted behindthe body. It is also possible that other kinds of brackets are mountedbehind the body, such as ring sections or hook-like brackets or otherkinds of brackets.

In a suitable embodiment, the one or more brackets is/are provided as aring or as a series of subsections of a ring, the ring or subsections ofa ring being connected to the body via one bridging member or via aplurality of bridging members.

In another embodiment, the body comprises a face member which issubstantially circular. A circular form provides a simple surface for agraphic image or a text message.

In another embodiment, the ornamental attachment comprises a leftbracket and a right bracket, the left bracket being configured tosupport shoelace sections extending to eyelets on a left side of theshoe, the right bracket being configured to support shoelace sectionsextending to a right side of the shoe. This embodiment provides anefficient connection with the shoelace and the shoe. The lacing of theshoelace through the aperture defined by the left and right brackets bythe wearer of the shoe is relatively simple.

In a suitable embodiment, the body has an ornamental form, chosen from agroup comprising: a form of an animal, a form of a text, a form of aknown object and a fantasy form. These kinds of forms add to the visualeffect of the ornamental attachment.

In another embodiment, the body comprises a flat forward surface,wherein a text, an image, or another visual item is displayed on saidsurface.

In another embodiment, the ornamental attachment comprises a pluralityof brackets which are hook-like members. Hook-like members are simpleand also allow easy connection to the shoe via the shoelace.

Generally, the one or more brackets are configured to allow the shoelaceto extend around each bracket and extend from one eyelet on a left sideof the footwear to another eyelet on a left side of the shoe via thebracket and from one eyelet on a right side of the footwear to anothereyelet on a right side of the shoe via the bracket.

The preset invention further relates to a combination of footwear andthe ornamental attachment, the ornamental attachment being provided onthe footwear in such a way that the shoelace sections form a pattern oflines which extend outwardly away from one another, wherein theornamental attachment is a center of said visual pattern.

The present invention further relates to a combination of a shoelace andan ornamental attachment. The shoelace may be specifically designed tomatch with the ornamental design. For instance, the colors of theshoelace may match the colors of the ornamental shoelace. Other tuningof the shoelace to the ornamental attachment is also possible.

The present invention further relates to the use of an ornamentalattachment for providing an ornament on a piece of footwear.

The claims and advantages will be more readily appreciated as the samebecomes better understood by reference to the following detaileddescription and considered in connection with the accompanying drawingsin which like reference symbols designate like parts, or parts with thesame or similar function.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will be further clarified by the following figures:

FIG. 1A shows a view of a shoe comprising the ornamental attachmentaccording to the invention;

FIG. 1B shows a section of a shoe having the ornamental attachment ofthe invention;

FIG. 2 a shows an isometric view of the ornamental attachment accordingto the invention;

FIG. 2 b shows a side view of the ornamental attachment according to theinvention;

FIGS. 3 a, 3 b, 3 c, 3 d, 3 e, 3 f, 3 g, 3 h and 3 i show front views ofother embodiments of the ornamental attachment according to theinvention;

FIG. 4 shows a front view of another embodiment of the ornamentalattachment according to the invention;

FIG. 5 a shows an isometric view of the back of the embodiment of FIG.4;

FIG. 5 b shows a rear view of the embodiment of FIG. 4;

FIG. 5 c shows a side view of the embodiment of FIG. 4;

FIG. 5 d shows another side view of the embodiment of FIG. 4;

FIGS. 6 a, 6 b, 6 c and 6 d show front views of a shoe comprisingfurther embodiments of the ornamental attachment according to theinvention;

FIG. 7 shows a front view of another embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 8 a shows a rear view of another embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 8 b shows an isometric view of the embodiment of FIG. 8 a; and

FIG. 8 c shows a side view of the embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Turning to FIGS. 1A and 1B, a shoe 20 is shown with an ornamentalattachment 10 according to the invention. The ornamental attachment 10is connected to the shoe 20 via a shoelace 30. The shoe 20 compriseseyelets 12 for the shoelace 30. The eyelets 12 are arranged in two rows14, 16 and provided in a left flap 13A and a right flap 13 B of the shoe20. Right row 14 is provided on the right side of the shoe (as viewed inthe direction of walking), and left row 16 is provided on the left sideof the shoe. Each row 14, 16 of eyelets comprises 6 eyelets 12.

A part of the shoelace extends between each eyelet 12 and the ornamentalattachment 10. This part is further referred to as a shoelace section27. The shoelace sections 27 form a visual pattern. The body 32 forms acenter of said visual pattern. The pattern may be a radial pattern. Theshoelace sections 27 extend outwardly and away such that a distance 45between the shoelace sections 27 increases with an increasing distancefrom the body 32. Parts of the shoelace 30 are concealed from a viewer,because these parts extend behind a part of the ornamental attachment10.

FIG. 1B shows how shoelace sections 27A extend over the upper side ofthe bracket 22A, 22 b and over the upper side of the flaps 13A, 13B tothe respective eyelets 12. Other shoelace sections 27 b extend fromunderneath the bracket 22A, 22B and underneath the flaps 13A, 13B to theeyelets 12. The shoelace sections 27A may be referred to as uppershoelace sections 27A. The shoelace sections 27B may be referred to aslower shoelace sections 27B. The lower shoelace sections are partlyconcealed by the brackets 22A, 22B, the upper shoelace sections 27A andthe flaps 13. When the shoelace 30 is wide, the lower shoelace sections27B may be completely or almost completely invisible from a viewer,because they are concealed by the upper shoelace sections 27A. It isalso possible that due to the lower position of the lower shoelacesections 27B, the lower shoelace sections 27B are less visible or notvisible.

Turning to FIGS. 2 a and 2 b, the ornamental attachment 10 comprises abody 32. The body 32 has a front side 18 which in use is a facing sideon which a text, a figure, a portrait or another kind of visual image isshown. The body 32 is circular. Other forms of the body 32 are alsopossible as will be discussed below.

The ornamental attachment 10 has two brackets 22 a, 22 b which definetwo apertures 28. The brackets 22 a, 22 b are connected to the body 32via bridging members 24. The brackets 22 a, 22 b extend around thecircumference 33 of the body 32. The brackets 22 a, 22 b form an annularform or a substantially annular form.

The apertures 28 are configured to allow shoelace sections 27 to belaced through the apertures 28 and extend from an eyelet to theornamental attachment and back to another eyelet of the shoe 20.

Returning to FIGS. 1A and 1B, at the ornamental attachment, eachshoelace section 27 goes over in a next shoelace section 27 via a loopsection 29 of the shoelace. The loop sections 29 extend around thebracket 22 a, 22 b and through the aperture 28. The loop sections 29 arecurved. The brackets 22 a, 22B are configured to accommodate multipleloop sections 29 on the left side and multiple loop sections on theright side. The loop sections 29 define a transition between an uppershoelace section 27A and a lower shoelace section 27B.

In FIG. 2 b, it is shown that the ornamental attachment 10 has a frontside 18, a rear side 19 and a flank 26. The ornamental attachment 10 hasa thickness 36.

Turning to FIGS. 3 a-3 i, several variants of the invention are shown.FIG. 3 a shows an embodiment with the shape of FIGS. 2 a and 2 b andwith a text displayed on the front side 18 of the body 32.

FIG. 3 b shows a variant with a graphic image displayed on the frontside 18 of the body 32.

FIG. 3 c shows an embodiment wherein the brackets 22 a, 22 b arecircular, but wherein the body 32 has a diamond shape. Other shapes ofthe body 32 are also possible. It is also possible that the brackets 22a, 22 b have a different shape.

FIG. 3 d shows an embodiment having six bridging members 24.

FIG. 3 e shows an embodiment of the ornamental attachment 10 having arectangular form. The brackets 22 a, 22 b are straight and extend alonga left side and a right side of the body 32.

FIG. 3 f shows an embodiment wherein a square form is provided. Thebrackets 22 a, 22 b are substantially straight and extend along a leftside 38 a and a right side 38 b of the body 32.

FIG. 3 g shows a star like form of the ornamental attachment 10 of theinvention. Both the body 32 and the brackets 22 a, 22 b define asubstantially star-like form.

FIG. 3 h shows an embodiment having a substantially hexagonal form.

FIG. 3 i shows a heart-like form, wherein both the body 32 and thebracket 22 a, 22 b have a heart-like form.

Turning to FIGS. 4, 5 a, 5 b, 5 c and 5 d another embodiment is shown,wherein the body 32 is provided in front of the brackets 22 a, 22 b.This provides an increased visual effect, because the shoelace sections27 appear to be protruding from out of the body 32, when viewed fromabove.

FIG. 5 a shows that the brackets 22 a, 22 b are connected to the body 32via bridging members 24 which extend from a back side 19 of the body 32.The brackets 22 a, 22 b extend coplanar to the body 32 at a distance 40to the body 32. The brackets 22 a, 22 b are formed as semi-circles, butother forms are also possible.

FIG. 5 b shows that the brackets 22 a, 22 b extend at a distance 42 fromthe outer ridge 38 of the body 32. In one embodiment, this distanceallows a bend in the shoelace 30 around the bracket to be concealed bythe body 32 from the viewer. Further, a short section of shoelace mayalso be concealed from the viewer. The shoelace sections 27 which arevisible to the viewer may be straight. The visible shoelace sections maybe spaced apart near the outer ridge 38 of the body, and diverge furtherfrom one another as the distance between the shoelace sections from theouter ridge 38 increases.

FIGS. 6 a, 6 b, 6 c, 6 d show other embodiments of the ornamentalattachment 10 of the invention having brackets provided behind the body32, wherein FIG. 6 a shows a star-like body 32. FIG. 6 b shows a body 32having a form of a flower. FIG. 6 c shows a body 32 having asubstantially circular form. FIG. 6 d shows a body 32 having acombination of a circular form and a text-form. Other forms are alsopossible.

FIG. 7 shows an embodiment having multiple brackets 22 a-22 f arrangedsubstantially about the body 32.

FIGS. 8 a-8 c show an embodiment having brackets of a different form.The brackets 22 are hook-like members protruding from the back side 19of the body 32. It is also possible that the hook-like brackets extendoutwardly from the outer ridge 38 of the body 32. It is also possiblethat each bracket defines an eyelet through which the shoelace is to belaced.

Other forms of the brackets 22 are also possible in order to create thesame visual pattern.

It will be obvious to a person skilled in the art that numerous otherchanges in the details and the arrangement of the parts may be variedover considerable range without departing from the spirit of theinvention and the scope of the claims.

1. An ornamental attachment configured to be connected to a shoe via ashoelace, the ornamental attachment comprising a body and one or morebrackets mounted to said body, the one or more brackets being configuredsuch that in use a plurality of shoelace sections extend between eyeletsof the shoe and the one or more brackets, wherein the one or morebrackets are arranged such that in use a plurality of shoelace sectionsextend outwardly away from the body and diverge from one another.
 2. Theornamental attachment according to claim 1, wherein the one or morebrackets are arranged such that in use a plurality of shoelace sectionsform a widening pattern.
 3. The ornamental attachment according to claim1, wherein the one or more brackets are configured and arranged toaccommodate more than two shoelace sections.
 4. The ornamentalattachment according to claim 1, wherein the one or more brackets areconfigured to support a plurality of shoelace sections extending betweeneyelets on a left side of the shoe and the one or more brackets, and tosupport a plurality of shoelace sections extending between eyelets on aright side of the shoe and the one or more brackets.
 5. The ornamentalattachment according to claim 1, wherein the one or more brackets arearranged such that when the ornamental attachment is positioned betweena left row of eyelets and a right row of eyelets of a shoe and laced tothe shoe with a shoelace, shoelace sections are defined which extendbetween the eyelets and the one or more brackets, and wherein a distancebetween each shoelace section increases in a direction away from thebody.
 6. The ornamental attachment according to claim 1, wherein the oneor more brackets are arranged such that in use a plurality of theshoelace sections extend radially.
 7. The ornamental attachmentaccording to claim 1, wherein the one or more brackets are constructedsuch that a shoelace can extend from one eyelet of the shoe to anothereyelet of the shoe via the one or more brackets.
 8. The ornamentalattachment according to claim 1, wherein the one or more brackets defineone or more apertures through which the shoelace can extend.
 9. Theornamental attachment according to claim 1, wherein at least one bracketis configured to accommodate multiple shoelace sections, such thatmultiple shoelace sections extend from the same bracket to differenteyelets of the shoe.
 10. The ornamental attachment according to claim 1,wherein the one or more brackets extend substantially around an outercircumference of the body.
 11. The ornamental attachment according toclaim 1, wherein the ornamental attachment comprises a front plate and aring mounted to the front plate.
 12. The ornamental attachment accordingto claim 1, wherein the one or more brackets are provided behind thebody, such that in use the one or more brackets are substantiallyconcealed from a viewer.
 13. (canceled)
 14. The ornamental attachmentaccording to claim 1, wherein the one or more brackets is/are providedas a ring or as a series of subsections of a ring, the ring orsubsections of a ring being connected to the body via one bridgingmember or via a plurality of bridging members.
 15. The ornamentalattachment according to claim 1, wherein the body comprises a facemember which is substantially circular.
 16. The ornamental attachmentaccording to claim 1, wherein the one or more brackets extend at asubstantially uniform distance from an outer ridge of the body.
 17. Theornamental attachment according to claim 1, comprising a left bracketand a right bracket, the left bracket being configured to support aplurality of shoelace sections extending between eyelets on a left sideof the shoe and the left bracket, the right bracket being configured tosupport a plurality of shoelace sections extending between eyelets on aright side of the shoe and the right bracket.
 18. The ornamentalattachment according to claim 1, wherein the body has an ornamentalform, chosen from a group comprising: a form of an animal, a form of atext, a form of a known object and a fantasy form.
 19. The ornamentalattachment according to claim 1, wherein the body comprises a flatforward surface, wherein a text, an image, or another visual item isdisplayed on said surface.
 20. (canceled)
 21. (canceled)
 22. Acombination of footwear and the ornamental attachment of claim 1, theornamental attachment being provided on the footwear in such a way thatthe shoelace sections form a pattern of lines which extend outwardlyaway from one another, wherein the ornamental attachment is a center ofsaid visual pattern.
 23. A combination of a shoelace and an ornamentalattachment according to claim
 1. 24. (canceled)